INVESTIGADORES
BERNAL Celina Raquel
artículos
Título:
Fracture characterization of sisal-reinforced starch based composites
Autor/es:
V. ALVAREZ, C. BERNAL AND A. VÁZQUEZ
Revista:
POLYMER COMPOSITES
Editorial:
Society of Plastics Eng., Inc.
Referencias:
Lugar: Brookfields; Año: 2005 vol. 26 p. 316 - 323
ISSN:
0272-8397
Resumen:
The fracture behavior of biodegradable fiberreinforced
composites as a function of fiber content under different
loading conditions was investigated. Composites with different
fiber content, ranging from 5 to 20 wt%, were prepared
using commercial starch-based polymer and short
sisal fibers. Quasistatic fracture studies as well as instrumented
falling weight impact tests were performed on the
composites and the plain matrix. Results showed a significant
increase in the crack initiation resistance under quasistatic
loading. This was caused by the incorporation of
sisal fibers to the matrix and the development of failure
mechanisms induced by the presence of the fibers. On the
other hand, a modest increasing trend of the resistance to
crack initiation with fiber loading was detected. An improved
fracture behavior was also observed when the impact
loading was parallel to the thickness direction. Under
these experimental conditions, the composites exhibited
higher values of ductility index, energy at initiation and total
fracture energy than the plain matrix. Furthermore, an increasing
trend of these parameters with fiber content was
detected in the biocomposites. Overall, the addition of
sisal fibers to the biodegradable matrix appears to be an
efficient mean of improving fracture behavior under both
quasistatic and impact loading conditions.